The Wiseacre Duos: Steely Dan, Part VII

Blogger's Note: Don & Walt got a bit annoyed with all the exposure in my recent series and coerced me into cooling it a bit. But I think enough time has passed to rejoin our maestros on their patently unpredictable journey........ Walter Becker dropped by Village Recorders, the site where many a Steely Dan track had been recorded and overdubbed, one day in 1986 during the laying down of basic tracks for Zazu, the debut album for model Rosie Vela. His old partner in snark, Donald Fagen was there playing synths along with their former producer, Gary Katz. Becker liked what he heard, even playing a little keyboard himself. The whispers began: they're recording again. Our wiseacre duo was collaborating. Unbeknownst to each other, they had even chosen the same track from Zazu as their favorite. The symbiosis was still intact. After a session one night in NYC, Becker and Fagen walked sixty blocks home together. They were back? The whispers grew louder. The communication resumed, despite the fact that they were living 5000 miles apart-Becker in Hawaii, Fagen in the Big Apple. Discussions of song ideas commenced, even over poor long distance connections. They even got together to pen a song, "Snowbound", which would emerge later. But most of the material written was relegated to the Scrap Heap of the Merely Very Good, in the eyes of our perfectionists. The keen ears were still very much in play, though Becker had already begun to loosen up, having worked with more spontaneous artists like Rickie Lee Jones and Michael Franks. Fagen, however, was as critical as ever. Time and again, he attempted to follow-up his 1982 gem, The Nightfly. He would even get as far as having teams of musicians and engineers, occasionally having something recorded and mixed. But he was never satisfied. More fodder for the vault. I imagine there is much music in the vault that never saw the light of day, and would make for some great bonus tracks, if only Fagen and Becker would ever permit! They are notoriously recalcitrant on this point, much to the frustration of the fandom.

The artist was blocked. He was producing, but the ideas were trite, uninspired. Perhaps Becker was just the grit he needed for his romanticism? But even at this late date, it wasn't gelling. Fagen needed some distraction. He found it as a semi-regular contributor to Premiere magazine in the late 80s. The first piece was a direct recognition of his silenced muse. A highly readable rumination on the state of his dry spell. He discussed, here and elsewhere, how many artists are lucky to have a few good years. He cited Burt Bacharach as an example.

Later entries were tributes to Henry Mancini and an interview with Ennio Morricone (during which Fagen's tape recorder failed). The most intriguing one was his acknowledgement of "Lakmania", an obsession with Lakme, an opera by the French composer Leo Delibes. Parts of the baracole had played in THE HUNGER, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, and I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING. Interesting read:

http://wwww.donaldfagen.com/writing_items.php?itemID=22

Fagen's cinematic interests also led him to once again compose film scores. BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY was a 1988 Michael J. Fox vehicle in which the star was attempting to shed his wholesome TV persona for someone darker, flawed. It detailed the downward spiral of a yuppie in the toxic nightlife of NYC. Based on Jay McInerney's well-regarded novel of the same name, the movie rather half-heartedly attempted to evoke the despair of an empty existence, and the afterburn of intoxicants and the subsequent fall-out. Seemed like relevant material for Fagen.

His contribution, "Century's End," was a bouncy single, replete with sly lyrics and ultraclean production. It stuck out somewhat awkwardly on the soundtrack, as the other songs were mainly dance hits. Fagen also wrote a verse or two for the title track, heard over the climax of the film, where Fox trades his dark sunglasses for a loaf of bread, a rather contrived scene that I'm not going to analyze any further, though it perfectly illustrates my disappointment with the film. Fagen was also disappointed with the experience for a multitude of reasons, including the distraught over having to co-compose music for a traumatic death scene.

With little result to recount from his other pursuits, Fagen eventually decided to play live again, albeit in small venuses around The City, including the famed Elaine's, so prominently mentioned in Woody Allen's MANHATTAN. Later, Fagen was convinced by his girlfriend to play regular gigs at the Lone Star Roadhouse, where he played classic soul songs of the 1960s like "Time is on My Side" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love." His reluctance to play live was soon trumped by his sheer enthusiasm for the songs that had inspired his young self all those years ago in the Jersey suburbs. As the 80s gave way to the 90s, Fagen found new reason in his life. His "Rock & Soul Revue" was becoming a habit, played at various locations around the city, growing larger and larger.

Eventually, stars like Boz Scaggs, Charles Brown, and Phoebe Snow would join Fagen onstage for these dates. The audiences were responsive but restless. Where is "Reeling in the Years"? "Peg"? Vocal sections of the audience would not make hidden their desire to hear the Steely Dan songs that were never played live following their original releases. Fagen was insistent that his new show was not designed to be a showcase for his own work. The urgency of his fans' cries for SD material only make him more resistent. He even stopped the show a few times to address this issue.

"Steely Dan is dead," Fagen would say in a radio interview in the early 1990s. He was contented, heck, reinvigorated with his current outlet. His partner, Walter Becker, continued to produce albums for a variety of artists. Despite their continued association in between stints at their new jobs, the future was not promising for a reunion proper.

But all was not dark. Fagen began to slowly incorporate his old tunes into the Revue shows. Michael McDonald, a frequent background singer on Steely Dan songs, joined him for choruses of "Chain Lightning" and "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More." "Green Flower Street", from The Nightfly, popped up from time to time, and was featured on a 1991 recording of a trio of shows from New York's Beacon Theater. Becker had joined his partner on stage for a solo or two.

Fagen's creative juices flowing again, it was time for the long-awaited follow-up.........

to be continued